


Kiss With A Fist

by BreatheSymphonies



Series: I Never Told You What I Do for a Living [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Violence, Death, Denial of Feelings, Drinking, Fluff, Gun Violence, Hitman AU, Kissing, Knife Violence, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mentions of Sex, Murder, Shit talking, joking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-16 16:48:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14815142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreatheSymphonies/pseuds/BreatheSymphonies
Summary: There are many rules you follow in the murder for hire business. Kei has always followed all the rules until Kuroo Tetsurou came along. He doesn't know how he let Kuroo get under his skin, but he isn't going to let one man turn his world upside down.Or so he thinks.This is my third fic in my Hitman AU! Kuroo and Tsukki are partners and they both drive each other crazy.





	Kiss With A Fist

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! If anyone has read the other two installments in this series, GREAT! If you haven't, DON'T WORRY! You don't have to. I'd be extremely delighted if you did, but you don't need to in order to read this. There is a (very) brief mention of Suga (Who is part of the ship in the second fic for this) when they're with Kiyoko, but nothing that will confuse you really. I hope it just makes you curious!
> 
> I've been wanting to add KuroTsukki into this AU for like a year now and FINALLY found motivation to write it. This is my first time writing this pair, so I'm excited I got it done. I really hope you enjoy it!

“Take the shot, Tsukki.” He hears through his earpiece the same time he pulls the trigger.

“I know what I’m doing.” He replies as the bullet finds it’s target right outside of a fancy hotel.

“Now, now. Don’t sass your team leader, Tsukki.” Kuroo reprimands him like a child, annoying Kei even more.

“You're not the team leader. There is no team leader. There is only two of us. And stop calling me that.” Kei snaps as he quickly packs up his gun and starts making his way down the fire escape of the building he’s on top of.

“We are a two man _team_! Also Shimizu-san is here. How could you forget about her wonderful assistance tonight?” Kuroo adds as he makes his exit through the back of the hotel where their target was.

“I don’t want to be a part of your team.” Shimizu says and an audible gasp comes through the line.

“Shimizu-san, I thought we were friends!” Kuroo whines.

“I don’t have any friends.”

“I could be your friend.” Kei can hear by Kuroo’s voice that he’s wearing that sly smile that he thinks is sexy, but makes him look more like the dork he truly is.

“I don’t want any friends, so shut up and get to the rendezvous point.”

“See, she’s a team leader.” Kei states.

“Maybe she can teach me a few things.” Kuroo says as he rounds the corner to get to their getaway car.

Kei is already closing the driver side door, so Kuroo hurries and hops in the passenger seat. Kei pulls away from the curb, races up the road and makes a quick right to stop in the front of the hotel Shimizu is now exiting.

There are people screaming and running around looking for help for the man that was just shot out front, so it’s incredibly easy for her to go unnoticed. She slips into the backseat and Kei drives away.

“Man, how did you get to the car so fast? I was sure I’d beat you this time.” Kuroo asks.

“I don’t stick around when I take my shot. I know it’s going to hit it’s target so I get out as quickly as possible.”

“That’s a cocky attitude, but you’re right. You never miss.”

Kei pulls over in front of Shimizu’s car parked a few blocks away from the hotel. Kuroo jumps out so he can open the door for her before she opens it herself. She thanks him, but doesn’t smile. It’s almost as if she only smiles when she’s on a job to draw her target in. 

Kei gets out too, but stays next to the car, one arm draped over the door and the other on the roof to support his weight. He knows what’s coming.

“Shimizu-san, would you like to grab a drink? Make a toast to our great collaboration tonight?” Kuroo asks.

“No.” is her simple reply.

“Come on! Don’t be so distant! I really could be your friend. Everyone needs friends, even people like us.” 

“I told you I don’t have friends. I don’t do emotional connections.” She says as she walks towards her car.

“Rumor has it you and Sugawara Koushi are quite close friends. Or you were before he disappeared.” Kuroo smirks.

Shimizu looks at Kuroo now and gives a rare smirk of her own. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t know who that is.”

“Hmm. Well, it was a rumor after all.” He says, not buying it at all. “If you ever want to start another rumor about who you’re friends with, give me a call.”

“Goodnight, Kuroo-san.” She says and waves at Kei. He waves back at her and turns towards Kuroo.

“Get in already, she’s not going to lower her standards to sleep with you.”

Kuroo continues to look at Shimizu as she starts her car and says, “And yet you’ll sleep with me.”

Kei stiffens and looks away. He doesn’t say anything as he gets back in the car. A few seconds later Kuroo gets back in as Shimizu drives away. 

When she’s out of sight he pulls away too. He is heading towards Kuroo’s to drop him off when he speaks.

“So victory drink at the usual spot?” Kuroo gives a pleading smile.

“Do we have to?” 

“Yes! It’s our tradition!” He almost looks offended by the question.

Kei side eyes him and sighs. It really had become routine for them after a successful job. He doesn’t mind it, it’s just the routine that now tends to follow the celebratory drinks that he wants to avoid.

 _Or maybe I don’t want to avoid it and that’s the problem._ He thinks and immediately scowls. 

“Why the angry face? What’s going on?” Kuroo breaks through Kei’s thoughts.

He avoids the question and flicks his left blinker on to head to the bar.

“Yes!” Kuroo yells and claps his hands. “You’re the best, Tsukki!”

“Sure.” He replies. _Just one drink this time. Nothing is going to happen tonight. I’m not weak._

 

“What the fuck is wrong with me?” Kei says, to his immediate horror, out loud.

“Huh?” Kuroo responds intelligently. 

“Sorry, that was a thought that slipped out.” He takes a swig of his whiskey, enjoying the burn in his throat after that embarrassing outburst. He had told himself he’d only have one drink and here he was downing his third.

“Oh, Tsukki! Nothing is wrong with you! Why are you even thinking that?”

Another scowl makes its way onto Kei’s face. It's been a permanent facial expression for him tonight. He was hoping Kuroo had drank enough to ignore it, but now here he was scooting closer to him in the small wrap around booth in the back of the small, but fancy bar they always occupy when they come here.

 _I should have insisted on sitting at the bar._ Kei thinks as Kuroo’s hand squeezes his knee. 

This is exactly what he wanted to avoid. It always starts with a single endearing touch from an intoxicated Kuroo and ends with them in Kuroo’s bed. Kuroo passed out in a blissful sleep and Kei lying wide awake, hating himself.

The first time it happened, Kei had just wanted to get laid. He wouldn’t deny he was sexually frustrated and on a high from one of the best jobs they had ever done. They were both drunker than they usually got and Kuroo made a move on him. Up to that point it had been annoying flirting that Kei never took seriously, but when Kuroo’s hand slid up his thigh that night he didn’t stop him.

Kei knew Kuroo was into both men and women and would only admit to himself that Kuroo was attractive. He had never mentioned his sexual orientation to anyone, but Kuroo seemed to have known early on in their partnership that Kei was into men. Kuroo probably wouldn’t be a very good hitman if he couldn’t figure out certain things about his own partner. Knowing secrets is part of the job.

He had used Kuroo that night to just get off. He knew he shouldn’t have because they were partners, but the next time they saw each other they both pretended like it had never happened. Kei was thankful for that. He didn’t want it to be a big deal. He had told himself it was a one time thing.

Then it happened again a few weeks later. Kuroo made another move in the same booth and Kei didn’t stop him. That time he told himself it was just because the sex was good and convenient. That he was again just using Kuroo. That was the excuse he’s used every time since then. 

They’ve still never talked about it. Kei always leaves in the middle of the night after lying there, hating himself for a while. He drives home telling himself it won’t happen again, but after the next job he finds himself in Kuroo’s bed. Tonight was the first time one of them had ever mentioned it.

_”And yet you’ll sleep with me.”_

Kei doesn’t know why that one sentence from Kuroo is bothering him so much. It’s not like he cares what Kuroo thinks of him. Maybe it’s that Kuroo has something to hold over him. In this line of work you don’t want anyone to have any kind of dirt on you.

 _”That’s it.”_ He thinks. _”It goes both ways though. I have something on him too. Though I doubt he even cares.”_

Kei stiffens. Why did that thought seem like he’s upset by that fact? He shouldn’t care what Kuroo thinks of him. He _doesn’t_ care what Kuroo thinks of him. He’s just having an off night. The whiskey is getting to him in a bad way.

“Tsukki.” He startles at the whisper in his ear. He turns to stare at Kuroo who looks concerned. “Tsukki, what’s wrong?”

“Stop calling me that.” He hisses.

Kuroo smiles seductively, leans closer and says, “You don’t mind me calling you that when you’re face down in a pillow and clutching the sheets.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Its feels like ice is slithering up Kei’s spine and he shivers. Kuroo still seems to think he is playing a game with him and squeezes his thigh when he feels him shiver. Twice tonight Kuroo has mentioned the sex and both times Kei has felt a knot in his stomach. 

He slaps Kuroo’s hand from his thigh and says, “I’m leaving.”

“You haven’t finished you drink.”

“I said I’m leaving.” Kei stands up and Kuroo grabs his wrist.

“What the fuck is your problem tonight? You’ve been pissy ever since we left Shimizu.”

“I don’t have a fucking problem, so let me go.” Kei wrenches his wrist from Kuroo’s grasp.

“Says the guy who blurted out ‘What the fuck is wrong with me?’ not even two minutes ago.”

“I’m _leaving_.” Kei says one final time and walks away.

Kuroo gets up and follows him outside. Both of their drinks forgotten on the table.

“Where are you going?” Kuroo calls after him when they get outside.

“Home.” Kei responds without looking back.

“You’re not taking me home?” Kuroo asks puzzled.

“Nope.” Kei replies as he pulls out his keys and hits the unlock button.

“Then how am I getting home?”

“I don’t know, call Shimizu-san.” Kei freezes when he gets to the driver side door.

 _What the fuck? What the FUCK?_ he thinks in a panic. Why would he say that and in that _tone_?

“What did you just fucking say?” Kuroo sounds angry now.

Instead of letting his embarrassment show, Kei simply responds, “You heard me.”

Kuroo comes up behind him and pushes the car door shut as he starts to open it.

“Is that what this is about?” Kuroo asks as Kei turns around.

“Nothing is about anything, Kuroo. I’m tired and I want to go home.”

“No this is definitely about something. If you didn’t want to fuck, you could have just said so and I would have backed off. You know that and I know you know that.”

Kei sighs. He does know he could have told Kuroo that. He’s always known that. If he had said no to any of the advances, Kuroo would have backed off. He himself can’t understand why he is being this way.

“Are you jealous?” Kuroo asks in a low voice. It’s not meant to be an accusation, but the way Kei reacts it’s like he had accused him.

“No I’m not fucking jealous! What the fuck would I have to be jealous of? That some other person might also give you a pity fuck?”

What was he saying? That’s not what he thinks at all! Why is he being so defensive? Kei thinks he sees a hurt expression from Kuroo, but he suddenly starts cackling like a crazed man.

“Are you fucking serious? No, you’re not serious. Look, Tsukki. I don’t know what exactly is bothering you tonight, but insulting me isn’t going to fix whatever inner crisis you’re having at the moment. Don’t drag me into it unless it has to do with me and if it has something to do with me, then fucking tell me because let's be real, sweetie, nobody moans like that during pity sex and no one has pity sex seven times.”

“Would you shut the fuck up already!”

“Make me shut up then.” Kuroo isn’t saying that to be sexy right now. He’s trying to make Kei tell him why he’s acting this way. His intense glare is just making Kei more frustrated.

“I’m going home. We’re not friends, so you can cut out the whole trying to make me talk about my feelings thing.”

Kuroo snickers. “You’re absolutely right. We’re not friends. We’re partners in murdering crime and part time lovers just so long as I don’t flirt with anyone else or mention how you like it.”

Before Kei realizes what he’s doing, he pushes Kuroo away from him and punches him in the face. He’s too angry to stop himself and throws another punch, but it seems Kuroo has sobered up enough to block his hit while twisting his arm to push him back against his car. 

Kei’s instinct is to fight back, but he suddenly feels Kuroo’s blade at his throat and freezes. He should have known better. Hand to hand combat is not his strong suit while it’s Kuroo’s forte. Kei looks at him, but is surprised to see a sad expression on his face as opposed to a murderous one like he expected.

“I’ll call an uber.” It’s all Kuroo says before he lets go of Kei and walks away.

Kei looks at the ground feeling stupid, disgusting and guilty. He turns around and opens his car door. Right before he steps in he hears Kuroo call out to him. He looks up and over at him.

“I’ll call you when we get a job.” Kei nods, gets in his car and drives away.

 

To say that Kei is having a crisis may be an understatement. He’s not sure what the next step above a crisis is, but he is in full blown panic mode. It’s been a week since the incident with Kuroo outside of the bar and he has come to some very troubling realizations. He tried to deny them after admitting them to himself, but he couldn’t. 

He’s caught feelings for Kuroo.

He couldn’t stop thinking of that night. The reason he was so upset about the supposed meaningless sex was because he had started to enjoy the routine of finishing a job, getting a drink and getting into bed with Kuroo.

He had to admit he thoroughly enjoyed the sex with him. He enjoyed the things Kuroo did to him. He loved the praise Kuroo would give him while they were fucking. Kuroo was never a selfish lover. It was never just drunken sex to get off with him. He made damn sure Kei enjoyed it. He always made it about Kei. 

Kei was the selfish one. He let Kuroo make it about him. That’s really what Kuroo meant by his remarks. No one lets pity sex for the other person become about them.

If anything, Kuroo would have been having pity sex with him! Except Kuroo did his fair share of moaning too. Kei also thought he wouldn’t have been as generous if it was just pity sex.

Maybe he had been jealous when Kuroo hit on Shimizu. She was breathtakingly beautiful and her skills in the field were top notch. He could understand the attraction towards her. Kei couldn’t be mad at Kuroo for trying when he had never even talked about what they did behind closed doors to the person he was doing those things with. 

Of course Kuroo would think it was nothing but meaningless sex. Of course he wouldn’t think twice about flirting with someone else in front of Kei because there weren’t any feelings between them, or weren’t supposed to be.

Kei had to go and fuck a good thing up. He had to catch feelings. He couldn’t tell Kuroo though. He’d apologize and make some excuse. He’d say they need to be professional from now on, This is not the type of business you get attached to someone in.

Shimizu had said she didn’t do emotional connections.That’s how Kei had always been too, but he fucked up. He needed to fix this. He’s sure that with time his feelings for Kuroo would go away. He’s sure they only came to light because of the intimacy. He’d never been with the same person twice, so he’s sure his mind and body just got too comfortable with Kuroo. He’ll never make this mistake again. He’s sure of it.

 

It was another week before Kuroo had finally called Kei for a job. He feels anxious as he makes his way up the stairs to Kuroo’s apartment. He could have taken the elevator but, even after his inner battle and pep talks about what he was going to do, he was nervous to see Kuroo face to face.

He finally makes it there and hesitates for a few seconds before he knocks. When Kuroo opens the door grinning like a cheshire cat, Kei knows he’s in for it.

“This is going to be a fun one.” He says as Kei walks past him into the apartment.

“What is it?” Kei asks getting right down to business.

“Two higher ups for two crime syndicates are meeting in a warehouse to talk business and about teaming up against a third syndicate. The third one found out through one of their planted spies and wants to send a message.

“Sounds simple enough, but how many people will be at this meeting?” He inquires as he sits in the couch.

“Four according to the spy. One important guy and one body guard for each side.”

“Alright. You got images of this place?”

“Do I have images? Come on, Tsukishima. Of course I have do. Has Kenma ever let us down? I ask him for info on a place and he has all the latest floor plans plus extensive pics of the inside and any info we might need. Now come over her so I can map everything out with you.”

Kei doesn’t miss the use of his full name, but he ignores any reaction he feels because this is how Kuroo should address him. He gets up and walks over to the kitchen table. Kuroo already has everything laid out for them. They form a plan and go over it a few times to make sure they’re on the same page and get the time frames down. It should be a piece of cake.

“You want anything to drink?” Kuroo asks when they’re done.

“Water is fine.” Kei replies.

He walks with Kuroo into his kitchen and leans against the counter. Kuroo grabs a water bottle for himself and tosses one to Kei. He leans back against the fridge and takes a swig. Neither of them say anything and an awkward silence stretches on.

“Kuroo, I-”

“Look, Tsukishima-”

They both start to speak at the same time and stop.

“Go ahead.” Kuroo insists after another brief silence. Kei knows he was in the wrong the other night, so he knows he should speak first.

“I’m sorry for the other night. The way I behaved was uncalled for and I’m embarrassed by my actions. I’m sorry for punching you too.” Kei stares at the floor. He hates that he can’t make himself look at Kuroo.

“It’s fine. Shit happens. I do run my mouth a lot, so maybe the punch was overdue. I’m also sorry for the knife at your throat. That was a little extreme, but what can I say? I kill people for a living so defending myself with a knife is second nature to me.”

“Yeah, I should have known better. You did stop though. You were the more mature one that night.”

“I was. That was embarrassing for you I bet.” Kuroo chuckles.

“That’s why I’m apologizing, you dick.” Kei scowls and Kuroo laughs a little harder. Who would have thought Kuroo would have a moment where he acted more mature than Kei?

“Look, I think we should stay strictly professional from now on. I think lines are blurring and I’ve never been one to allow that to happen. I think that was what I was so angry about. Hearing what Shimizu-san said, it got me thinking about how I crossed a line with you and I never should have.” Kei explains.

Silence falls between them again as they both sip their water.

“Do you regret it?” Kuroo breaks the silence and Kei’s head shoots up to looks at him. He looks a little hurt, but trying hard to not let it show.

“No.” Kuroo looks relieved by his answer. “If I had regretted it, I wouldn’t have let it happen a second time.”

“Or a seventh time.” Kuroo snickers.

“Seriously? Did you keep a tally or something?”

“I thought it was a miracle, Okay? I needed to count my blessings!”

Kei actually laughs and he feels ten times better. He still feels a little guilt in the pit of his stomach for the real reason he’s putting an end to their extracurricular activities, but this is how it has to be.

“You seriously don’t regret it?” Kuroo asks again.

“No. Like I said, it would have only happened once if I did.”

“Well I want to be sure. For all I know, you could be a masochist.” 

“I might be being I continue to work with you.”

“So you like me better when we’re having sex?” Kuroo raises an inquiring eyebrow.

Kei ponders for a second before answering, “Yeah, actually I might.”

“Now tell me again why you want to stop?” Kuroo teases as he pushes himself off the fridge.

“I’m serious about keeping this purely professional.”

Kuroo gets close to him and says, “You know, my feelings could be really hurt right now. You said you like me better when we’re fucking, but you no longer want to fuck me.”

“And…?” Kei tilts his head waiting to see where Kuroo is going with this and his close proximity.

“You insult me, punch me in the face, insult me some more and make your fine ass off limits after all that.”

“Get to the point, Kuroo.” Kei crosses his arms.

“Would it be too much to ask for a pity fuck?”

“Are you fucking serious?” Kei yells as he throws his hands up in the air and walks away.

“I’m dead serious! You seriously have the sweetest ass I’ve ever laid my eyes on and now I’ll never be able to worship that ass again. Can I make a mold of it? It deserves it’s own shrine.”

“I’m fucking leaving. You’re ridiculous.” Kei says, but he’s not angry. Maybe if they’d talked about it like this from the beginning, what happened that night could have been avoided. He can’t think like that though. This is for the best. No emotional connections. Not in this business.

“Aw, you’re not going to stay for a movie?”

“You don’t watch movies, you watch science documentaries.” 

“I’ll put a dinosaur one on for you!” Kuroo sing songs.

“No. I’m going home to take a nap.”

“Fine. I’ll see you Sunday night.”

Kei waves lazily and lets himself out.

 

“Alright, got the plans burned into memory?” Kuroo asks.

“Tch, I know what I’m doing.” Kei replies and Kuroo rolls his eyes.

“Can’t you just humor me for once? I just want to make sure this job goes off without a hitch just like every other one before it.”

“And it will, so stop worrying.”

Kuroo pats himself down down to make sure everything is in place. “Guns, check. Knives, check. See ya in a few.”

Kei nods and they head their separate ways. They’re both dress in all black with coats that hold several weapons. Kuroo more so than Kei. He carries two pistols in his coat pockets, but he rarely uses them with him being a sniper. He usually just needs the one gun for his long distance attacks to get the job done. Kuroo, on the other hand with his close range attacks, carries four guns and several knives.

It doesn’t take Kei long to get to his destination and set up. He’s laying on top of a crate tucked away in the corner of the warehouse. It’s the perfect spot though. He can see almost everything.

“I’m in position.” Kuroo’s voice comes through Kei’s ear piece.

“Took you long enough.” Kei quips.

“Well not all of us get to just lay on crates and rooftops where no one can see them.” Kuroo quips back.

“Shut up, they should be arriving soon.” Kei is right and both men hold their positions waiting for their targets to arrive.

It’s about ten more minutes before the targets show up. Two guys for each side, just as the informant had said. Kei wasn’t sure if that was a smart move on either side, but it made his job a lot easier.

All four men are dressed in nice suits and have slicked back hair. If only all the syndicate criminals realized they all looked the same, they might be able to fly a little more under the radar.

They talk for a half hour. Kei is used to waiting for long periods of time, but he’s hoping to wrap this up soon. 

He gets his wish five minutes later. When the two men move to shake hands to end their meeting, Kei hears Kuroo’s “Now” loud and clear and takes his shot. His bullet hits the one man’s head the second his palm touches the other man’s. It only takes a second before Kuroo’s bullet enter the other man’s head while the two men sitting on the sidelines take knives to their throats.

Kei smirks. “Piece of cake.” he says to Kuroo through the mic before a bullet ricochets off the top of the crate he’s on.

“Shit!” He yells out loud as he grabs his rifle, rolls to the edge and jumps down to another crate below. He hears more bullets hit the crates. Thank god this guy is a terrible shot. How did he not see him?

He hears shots go off below where Kuroo is and curses again. How did he not see any of them?

“I’m insulted by their ambush. First off, if you’re going to be present for this and then just kill me instead of paying me, do it yourself. Secondly, these guys are terrible. Couldn’t hit fish in a barrel.” Kuroo jokes.

“Kuroo, this _really_ isn’t the time!” Kei yells.

“Oh I’m sorry, are you not also pissed that we just sat here for almost an hour to waste ammo and not even get paid?”

“Yes I’m pissed, but I would also like to get out of here alive.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m going to kill every one of these mother fuckers.”

Kei is on the ground now running towards Kuroo’s position. He hears shots going off and the sound of men dying, gurgling and choking on their own blood. Kuroo may be ridiculous, but when he is in the zone for work, he is a ruthless and terrifying individual.

Another shot from above whizzes past him. He has an idea now as to where their sniper is. How he got the job is puzzling because Kei would have hit himself twelve times by now probably.

He gets behind some smaller wooden crates and sets up his rifle between the cracks of two of them. He quickly spots the guy and shoots. The guy had no idea he was even in danger and goes down instantly. That’s one nuisance taken care of for Kei.

He quickly gets up and makes his way to Kuroo again. He spots him the same moment he takes down a man with a knife to the throat. Knowing Kuroo’s knife was held to the same spot on him just over two weeks ago makes Kei shiver. That night he’d seen hurt and sadness in Kuroo’s eyes as he held that knife to his throat, but now there is a devilish glint in his eyes as he takes the life of the man in his arms. It’s terrifying, but he can’t help but admire how Kuroo executes his work. 

A man appears behind Kuroo and Kei quickly takes a gun from his coat pocket and shoots him dead. Kuroo smiles and winks at him as a thank you. Kei rolls his eyes.

“Come on and let’s finish killing these assholes!” He yells to Kuroo.

“You really know how to get a man all hot and bothered.” Kuroo responds.

“Tch.” Is the only thing out of Kei’s mouth as he kicks Kuroo out of the way of a man coming at him from the side with a large blade.

He misses Kuroo, obviously, and Kei shoots him. More shots whiz past them and they hide behind crates and come up with a plan. They don’t say anything, they just use hand signals they came up with over the time they’ve worked together.

It seems there are only four more men. They’re not very spread out which will be their downfall. It doesn’t take long for them to form a plan of attack. When Kuroo receives a nod of understanding from Kei, he counts to three and both men come out into the open. 

Kei pulls another gun from his coat and uses both to shoot two men that are standing on top of the metal crates. Kuroo throws a knife at the man closest to him on the ground and hits him in the arm he’s holding his gun with. He drops his gun and this gives Kuroo enough time to shoot the other man on the ground.

With the rest of the men dead, he walks up to the one that took the knife to his arm.

“You know, I’m sure this is some type of payback for some job we did for one of your enemies in the past and I’ll pretend I’m sorry for the people I killed from your organization back then, but if you guys are going to take revenge on some professional murderers by ambushing us at the job you gave us, you might want to send in guys who can actually hit their targets. This was embarrassing. What? Were there like ten of you? And we took all of you out without a scratch. Pathetic.”

Kuroo didn’t even let the man respond to him before he shot him in the head.

“You really had to tell him all that before you killed him?” Kei questions.

“Yes! I’m pissed. We’re not getting paid and I just wasted ammo and a precious Sunday night.”

“They paid us half up front.”

“Okay, so we’re not getting fully paid. I still stand by everything I said though. There are so many other things we could have been doing right now.”

“Oh yeah? Like what? Watching a documentary about how plants communicate?”

“Okay, first off, fuck you. Secondly, no. We could have been having se-”

It happens so suddenly that Kei doesn’t register what exactly happened at first. He knew where Kuroo’s sentence was going, but he wasn’t sure at first why he didn’t finish it until Kuroo twists and falls to his knees clutching his right shoulder.

He sees the blood cover Kuroo’s hand and instantly goes on high alert.

“Eleven.” He hears before a man comes out of hiding and points his gun at him. He can see the silencer on it and curses. _So one of them was smart._

He aims to shoot Kuroo again but Kei fires off a shot first. The guy anticipates it and dodges it. Kei doesn’t let him get off easy though and rushes him. The man aims at him, but a knife thrown by Kuroo’s good arm knocks his shot off course when it pierces his forearm. The bullet flies by Kei’s head, but he isn’t phased by it. He is only concerned with killing this guy. Kei grabs his outstretched arm that was aiming at him, twists it and pulls the guy closer to place his gun under the man’s chin and pulls the trigger.

The man’s body falls to the ground and Kei immediately does a sweep of the warehouse. He finds no one else and rushes back to Kuroo who is now laying on the ground.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Kuroo, how bad is it?” He tries to asses the damage, but he can already see a lot of blood.

“Fuck, Tsukki, how could I be so fucking stupid? I should have done a sweep before getting cocky. That fucker even rubbed it in my face. ‘Eleven.’ Fuck off you dead piece of shit. You could only hit me in the fucking shoulder even with a surprise attack.”

“Kuroo, come on, we gotta get you help.” Kei says as he picks Kuroo up and rushes to his car.

“No, there is no where to get help! No hospitals! You know that!”

“Shut up, we’re getting help!” He yells as he dumps Kuroo in the car and hops in the driver seat and takes off.

 

Kei wasn’t sure of anything anymore. He’d been so sure a few days ago, but not anymore. Not with Kuroo bleeding out next to him. He’d been arguing with him the whole time since getting in the car, but was getting paler by the minute.

“Fuck, Tsukki! What are you doing? I’m bleeding all over your car!”

“I’ll fucking clean it! I’m getting you to a hospital.”

“You can’t! They’ll get the police involved. Don’t be so fucking stupid!”

“Alisa is working. She’s been on standby since we started the job!”

“Wh-what?” Kuroo asks confused.

“I always call her before a job as a precaution. You’re stupid connection to Lev pays off sometimes. You know, like now when I have a nurse to call for help.” Kei says and calls Alisa through his bluetooth radio.

“Hello?”

“Alisa! Get ready! Kuroo’s been shot! He’s bleeding pretty bad.”

“Come to the back entrance I showed you.”

“Got it! We’re almost there.” He hangs up and speeds up.

“Tsukki, this is a bad idea.”

“Kuroo, you’re _bleeding out_!”

“THEN LET ME DIE!” Kuroo yells then winces and curses under his breath.

“NO!” Kei yells back.

“It’d be so much better for you. No annoying partner getting you into messes like these. Like shit, Tsukki, you’re always saving my ass. Let’s be real here. I would have been dead a long time ago if you weren’t my partner. I’m sick of making you save me. Please just let me die.”

“You are _not_ going to die!”

“It’s okay Tsukki. I’m ready. What am I even living for other than this job?”

“Shut up and stop being dramatic.”

“You’re the one taking a hitman to a hospital, but I’m being dramatic?” Kuroo starts to laugh, but then goes into a coughing fit. Kei speeds up trying to get to the hospital faster.

“God dammit, Kei! Why won’t you let me die?”

“Because I fucking love you, Tetsurou!”

A dead silence fills the car suddenly. Kei is gripping the wheel so hard he feels like his hands are going to break. He can feel Kuroo staring at him, but he won’t take his eyes off the road. It’s only when Kuroo slumps over a little that Kei looks at him.

“Kuroo!” He yells and frantically touches his leg, shaking him. He suddenly hears Kuroo sobbing and lets go.

“Fuck!” Kuroo screams out. “Fuck, fuck fuck!”

“Kuroo…” Kei tries again.

“Just get me to the fucking hospital.” He croaks out.

Kei sighs with relief. He still can’t believe he confessed like that, but he feels that may be what changed Kuroo’s mind. He whips around a corner to get to the back entrance to the hospital. He sees Alisa standing by a door with a small blonde girl and a familiar looking doctor.

The second Kei stops the car Alisa pulls open the passenger door and the doctor is at Kuroo’s side. Ennoshita his name tag reads. Now Kei remembers why he looks so familiar. Alisa had given Lev a list of doctors, including pictures, that would help people in their line of work. Ennoshita was on the list. Lev had shown them. That was the same day Kei had met Alisa and set up this agreement to be on standby for their jobs.

“He’s lost a lot of blood. We need to get him in now. Is the bullet still in there?” Dr. Ennoshita asks.

“No, it went straight through.” Kei answers.

Dr. Ennoshita doesn’t answer and just helps the two girls get Kuroo on a stretcher. The blonde girl looks like she’s going to faint. Yachi is what Alisa had called her. Even though she looks terrified, she doesn’t hesitate to do what she’s told. 

“It’s best that you don’t stay around.” Dr. Ennoshita says and Kei nods. He watches them bring Kuroo in and then drives away.

 

He gets home on auto pilot and is relieved when he doesn’t run into anyone. He wouldn’t be able to explain all the blood on his hands and clothes. He’ll have to call in some favors to get his car cleaned tomorrow.

He sits down at his kitchen table and just stares at Kuroo’s blood all over his hands. The adrenaline must be wearing off now because as he recalls everything that happened tonight he can feel tears rolling down his cheeks. His vision blurs, he balls up his fists and slams them on the table.

“Fuck!” He screams.

He had told Kuroo he loved him and Kuroo had had the same reaction Kei just had to the events of tonight. He’s not sure if Kuroo’s reaction was a positive or negative reaction, but he had changed his mind about dying afterwards.

He can’t believe he blurted that out though. To confess that while Kuroo was bleeding out in his car. What was he thinking? He hadn’t even realized he felt that way about Kuroo until he was faced with the reality of possibly not having Kuroo in his life.

Movies always make it seem like a good idea to confess your love in someone’s dying moments, but it was a terrible idea. How could he be so selfish? Kuroo asked to die and Kei told him no all because he loved him.

 _Love is such bullshit._ He thinks. 

He gets up from the table and goes to take a shower. He stays in there until the water runs cold and then collapses in bed. How he wished he could start the night over.

 

Kei sits in the small wrap around booth in the back of the small, but fancy bar he and Kuroo frequented. He hadn’t been there since the night they fought. He isn’t sure why he came here, but he really needed to get out of his apartment. The bar probably isn’t the place he should have gone, but he figured instead of drinking at home alone, he’d get some fresh air and drink alone at the bar.

It had been two weeks since the night of the job. Kei had heard from Alisa later that night that Kuroo would make it, he had just lost a lot of blood and needed time to recover. He was sure Kuroo was out of the hospital by now, but he hadn’t heard from him or Alisa.

He downed the rest of his whiskey and was looking for someone to call over to order another one when a full glass was slid over to him. He looked in the direction it came from and saw the devil himself.

“I had a hunch I’d find you here.” Kuroo said as he sat down across from him.

“I thought the same thing until you weren’t here.” Kei smiles as he raises his glass. “Thanks.”

“You were just early, like always.” Kuroo says as he raises his glass to his lips.

A long silence stretches on before Kei asks, “How are you?”

“Physically or emotionally?”

“Uh… both I guess?” Kei thinks he meant physically, but being Kuroo hadn’t mentioned anything about what was said that night, he actually wanted to know how he was emotionally too.

“Well being shot fucking sucks. I never want to be shot again if we can help it.”

“We?” Kei accidently interrupts. 

“Yes. We. As in us. Because we are a team. A two hitmen team.”

“Of course.” Kei says as he spins his cup around absentmindedly. 

“Unless you want to be more than just a team.” Kuroo is staring at Kei when he looks up at him.

“I… what?” Kei stares.

Kuroo slides around the booth to sit right next to Kei, who continues to stare at him.

“I didn’t forget what you said. I also didn’t acknowledge it or respond to it. I think I was just already in so much shock that I didn’t know what to say except to get my stupid ass to a hospital so that I could live.”

“Kuroo…”

“Call me Tetsurou again. Tell me you love me again. I swear I was ready to die until you told me that. I know how fucking cliche that sounds, but honestly, I had no idea how much I actually loved you until you fought so hard to keep me alive. I’m sorry I couldn’t say it back then. I was all fucked up and it ovewhelmed me. I love you Tsukishima Kei. I’m alive because of you.”

“Tetsurou.” Kei says breathlessly.

“You should have told my stupid ass that night we fought. I knew it had something to do with us, especially when you said we should keep things professional after that, but I didn’t know you were putting your guard up. I believed you when you said we had just crossed a line in our professional life. I never would have thought it was because you had actual feelings. It was never just about sex with me, Kei. I enjoyed it immensely, but I enjoyed your company as well.”

“I knew I had some type of feelings for you, but I thought it was just the familiarity and intimacy confusing me. I honestly didn’t know how I truly felt until someone shot you. When losing you was a real possibility I finally realized what I had been feeling.”

Kuroo slowly caressed Kei’s wrist until Kei opened his hand to allow Kuroo to fit his hand with his. Kei looked at him wearing a worried expression.

“How can we do this? How will this work?” He asks Kuroo.

“We’ll figure it out, Kei.”

“We’re breaking like twenty of my rules by deciding to go forward with this.”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t fall in love and have feelings and sleep with your partner and blah blah. It’s too late though, sweetheart. You’re my love now.” Kuroo smiles.

Kei laughs and gives Kuroo the first genuine smile he’d ever seen from him. Kuroo can’t help but lean in and plant a chaste kiss on Kei’s lips.

“You don’t think this is too fast?” Kei asks.

“Did you miss the part where I was shot and almost bled to death, but I’m here because you didn’t give up on me and let me die?”

Kuroo hears a quiet “tch” from Kei before he closes the distance and kisses him properly. It’s soft, but passionate. It’s so different this time, now that they both are letting their feelings for each other be known. There is no holding back.

“You wanna go back to my place and have no holds barred sex?” Kuroo asks.

“What about your delicate shoulder?” Kei teases.

“You can be my nurse.” Kuroo replies seductively.

“You have a fucking answer for everything, don’t you?” Kei laughs.

“Is that a yes?” Kuroo raises an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Of course it’s a yes.”

“Good, finish your drink. I wanna see what loving, passionate, I’m glad you didn’t die from being shot sex is like with my boyfriend.”

Kei downs his drink and says, “I really am glad you didn’t die.”

“Me too, but show me how glad you are.”

“I can’t believe this is your seductive talk and that it’s working.”

“That’s what happens when you fall in love with such a suave guy, now let’s go!”

Kei laughs and hurries out of the booth, Kuroo right behind him. He knows Kuroo is right and they’ll figure out a balance for their work and home life. It won’t be easy, but as long as Kuroo is there, Kei is happy. 

Kei had never wanted love and did everything he could to never have to deal with it, but it still found him somehow. Where he least expected it. He never believed in fate or anything like that, but he isn’t going to fight his feelings anymore. Things could end badly in several different ways, but he’ll never regret his decision today. He loves Kuroo Tetsurou and that will never change.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Kudos make me happy, comments make me scream with joy! Let me know what you think! How did I do? What was you favorite part? Tell me you hate me for what I put them through, its really okay. 
> 
> Again thank you for taking the time to read this!


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